Roll the Dice Vegas DrSpencer Reid
by MCRlova
Summary: Grace Gideon is the number one agent in the BAU. When she transfers to the Quantico office, she'll find love, family and friends. But the question will be, which one will she choose? Can her father repair the damage he's done? Can Morgan commit?
1. Chapter 1

Roll the Dice Vegas-

"Hello? Agent Gideon speaking." Grace spoke into her cell phone.

"Grace? It's Aaron Hotchner from the Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico." Aaron sounded so young and so old at the same time. A small smile crept onto Grace's lips.

"Good morning Agent Hotchner. What can I do for you?" Grace calmly asked. She hoped that Aaron was calling in regards to her resume.

"Grace, the BAU needs a psychoanalysis agent like you. I'm reading over your resume right now. How soon can you be here for an interview?" Aaron prayed that she was already on her way. He had a case on hold for some one with her talents.

"I'm walking in the doors of the BAU right now." Grace answered her new boss as she hung up the phone. Walking down the stairs was Special Agent Aaron Hotchner. He smiled at Grace as she passed through a maze of desks to him. He embraced her as she smiled at him.

"It's been a long time Grace. Too long, my office is right up here. Let's go get your badge." Aaron smiled as he led her up the stairs.

"I thought this was just an interview." Grace looked confused. The one thing she hated most was getting jobs based on who she was not her skills.

"Unsubs don't wait for interviews. The BAU team has a briefing in two hours and we need you. Your interview is this case." Aaron nodded to Grace as she realized that she had been transferred. She smiled as the camera took the picture that would now make her a member of the FBI's most elite BAU team.

An hour later she found herself in the briefing room. Aaron stood beside her as the other members walked in and took their seats.

"Team, this is our newest agent, Dr. Grace Gideon. Dr. Gideon is our psychoanalyst. She has her masters in criminal psychology and her PhD in psychoanalyzing the criminal mind. Treat her well because we're not getting rid of her." Aaron looked seriously at JJ.

"Wait, you're agent Grace Gideon, as is the number psychoanalyst in the FBI, probably the best in the world? As in the number one agent in all of the FBI?" Agent Spencer Reid looked at Grace. Her face remained calm.

"That's what they tell me. I just do what I love. You must be Supervisory Special agent Dr. Spencer Reid." Grace extended her hand and Spencer smiled at her as he returned the gesture.

"I'm Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan." Grace broke her gaze with Spencer and looked at the man standing in front of her.

"It's always a joy to see your face this early in the morning, Morgan." Grace laughed as Derek pulled her into a quick embrace. Spencer looked at the pair with discontent in his eyes.

"Am I missing something here? I thought I was a part of this team… Gids?" Penelope Garcia walked into the room, folder in hand and stopped as she saw Grace standing in the middle of the briefing room.

"Penelope? Is that you?" Grace smiled as Penelope embraced her. A sharp cough broke their moment.

"Sorry to interrupt this little reunion of people who obviously adore you, but I have a serial killer here who cannot wait for you to reunite with old friends. I'm Special Agent Jennifer Jareau." Grace nodded and shook her hand.

"I'm Special Agent Elle Greenaway. It will be a pleasure working with you." Grace smiled at Elle as she extended her hand.

"Everyone sit down, this case isn't going to be easy." Jennifer briefed the team on their unsub.

"You all have a half hour to be on the plane. Garcia, pack your computers, you're coming too." Aaron looked at the room. In an instant, everyone scrambled to get out. Grace walked solemnly with her briefing in hand out the door. Most people would think that she was afraid to get on the plane, but in fact she was more afraid to find out what would happen if she didn't. Aaron caught up with Grace as she was shrugging her coat on.

"So, the BAU everything you had hoped it would be?" Aaron smiled lightly. "That Jareau is a piece of work huh? But she is important to the team. I've never seen her quite that catty as when I mentioned you would be joining our team." Grace smiled in response to Aaron.

"Let me explain two things to you Hotchner. One, I'm a woman, a blonde woman and I'll be invading on her territory because I am new. She doesn't see Greenaway or Garcia as a threat because she knows them better. Two, high school, she was in my graduating class. I was the only fifteen year-old in that class and I was valedictorian. I beat her out, I guess she's never forgiven me for that." Grace shrugged as she and Aaron stepped onto the pavement.

"Will you be telling your father you're here or should I?" Aaron met Grace's eyes. Grace looked quickly away.

"He's been going through a lot. Can't we just let sleeping dogs lie? He's been diagnosed with Post traumatic stress disorder, I don't want to freak him out anymore." Grace couldn't look Aaron in the eyes.

Disappointment and concern filled Aaron's words, "He's coming back you know."

"I'll see you at the landing in fifteen minutes Agent Hotchner." Grace said as she closed her door. Driving off in silence Grace's mind jumped around. Images became plastered in her brain, her father's face, the growing image of her latest unsub, and _his _face. His face was the one image her mind continued to go back to. When she reached her home minutes after her conversation with Aaron, Grace grabbed her bag, guns and holsters. As she started to walk out the door she remembered that she had to bring her "ready" bag with her, that is, the duffel that contained clothes, money, overnight things.

Once she reached her car again, Grace finally remembered to breathe. While she was driving, she attempted to push everything but the unsub out of her mind. She was relatively successful, except that she still couldn't get his face out of her head. Five minutes after leaving her apartment, Grace was boarding the BAU plane and heading out West.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" A small voice asked Grace from behind.

"No, go ahead." Grace motioned to the seat next to her. Spencer smiled and sat down.

On the table in front of her, Grace had the profile folder laid out. She was studying the pictures of the crime scene, as well as trying to keep her mind off him. It was hard when he was so near.

"So, what's in the bag? Is you're heart in there?" Spencer asked. Seats in front of him, Derek shook his head, and rows behind him, Aaron placed his head in his head.

"Excuse me?" Grace suddenly looked up from her work.

"I'm sorry that didn't come out right, I meant to say, what's in your bag?" Spencer grimaced.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's not right to ask what's in a ladies purse?" Grace smiled out of the corner of her mouth, hoping for a good reaction from him.

"99 of women who carry purses on a regular basis carry in on or across the shoulder, and place it on the floor when they are seated. That bag doesn't resemble a purse I've ever seen, and you carry it more protectively than I know any woman to." Spencer smiled, praying that Grace would open up and tell him. It was an odd conversation starter, but at least something got done.

"I carry a binder full of profiles, a gift from my father, my notebook, a package of pens and a photo printer." Grace smiled at the last item. Derek made his way over to the two. Everyone else seemed to be sleeping, and Derek wanted to feel included in some conversation.

"Photo printer?" Spencer asked with a confused expression on his face.

"All the better to remember me with." Derek answered for Grace. Grace smiled at Derek, and then looked at Spencer from the corner of her eye.

"So how do you two know each other?" Spencer asked trying to be casual.

"She whopped my ass a few years back on the mat. She basically taught me what I know. She's pretty good with her hands… if you know what I mean." Grace shot Derek a look that rivaled Medusa. "I'm just kidding. Seriously though, she's pretty much the best hand to hand fighter in the bureau." Derek smiled at Grace, but it went unnoticed by her. She was preoccupied by the tall man sitting next to her.

"Where are you from Dr. Reid?" Grace asked Spencer kindly.

"You… you can call me Spencer. I'm from Las Vegas. You?" Spencer was nervous, she was so beautiful.

"A Vegas Boy huh? That's cool. I'm from Jersey, small town, up north." Grace's lips curled up into a smile that could melt a million hearts.

"I know." Spencer shot out, quickly, too quickly and regretted it immediately.

"You do?" Grace looked confused.

"Sorry, I hope that doesn't sound creepy… it's just that I've read everything written about you." Spencer spit out, and still as he said it, he kicked himself for being such a fool.

"Really, that's not creepy at all." Grace stated, and Spencer thought he was done for, until he saw Grace laugh a little. "I've read a lot about you too, just not in book form."

As Spencer began to open his mouth, Aaron stood to announce that they were landing.

"It's going to be simple; we're going straight to the crime scene. From there, JJ you'll go to the headquarters of the local police with Garcia, and the rest of you we'll divide up when we get there." Aaron gave his orders clearly as a true leader did. Inside though, he was nervous. This would be the first case he was leading on his own.

When the team finished at the crime scene, JJ and Garcia awaited directions to police head quarters. Aaron busied himself with getting people where they needed to be, along with trying to keep in mind that this was a serial killer and they did not have much time left.

"Morgan, you and Greenaway will go interview the parents. Chief Ray and I will go do rounds. Reid, you're in charge of Gideon, make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." Aaron smiled as Grace bore holes into his skull. Reid motioned toward the black SUV that was their car. Annoyed she motioned for one more second. The digital camera she had removed from her coat pocket began to flash. Every aspect of the crime scene its surrounding areas where in Grace's camera now, Spencer looked on in confusion and in awe, and Aaron didn't quite know what to make of his newest addition.

"Vegas, you ready?" Grace said as she called to Spencer. He nodded and climbed into the driver's seat of the car.

"Where are we headed?" Spencer looked at Grace as she pulled her long blonde hair up into a sweeping ponytail. Two tendrils fell out and framed her face perfectly. For a second Reid lost his focus and almost forgot to put the car in reverse. He quickly fixed his mistake and they began to drive.

"The nearest Staples or any office supply store." Spencer looked at Grace but followed her wishes anyway.

"Who are you? You're nothing like the agent I read about." Spencer asked Grace who was putting on a pair of black sunglasses.

"I'm the same person you are Vegas, I'm from a broken home, except my mom left my dad moved me out to Jersey, stuck me in an intense education program. You have nightmares, they recently started no? I've had them for a while now. You look up to one man on this team as though he were your father. He teaches you. And he's proud of you. The thing is though, after this last ordeal, you don't know if he's coming back. Well, he is. He can't stay away from the BAU for too long. You're afraid to get close to people because you have zero self confidence, but what you don't realize is that there are people out there that would give anything for a guy like you. You went to college at 13 and have three PhDs. Vegas; you are the picture of this team." Grace knew that she avoided the question and made almost zero sense, but that didn't matter anymore. The last thing she was going to do was reveal her soul to him.

"Where do you get your information from?" Spencer said as they pulled into a parking lot. Grace jumped out of the car. As they walked into the building together, not a word was said. But as Spencer followed Grace to the photo aisle, he grabbed her wrist. She spun around and looked him the eyes. There she found possible love, compassion and trust.

"My father is agent Jason Gideon." Grace looked away from Spencer's gaze. Spencer hooked his finger under her chin and gently guided her face back to him.

"So you're THE daughter?" Spencer asked Grace. She could feel her eyes welling slightly.

"In the flesh, look, Spence, Vegas, I've known who you were for a while now and I… I'm not the person that they write about. Aaron, Hotchner, Hotch, he knows that my father thinks we should… you know… and that's why you're stuck with me." Grace broke away and began looking at packets of photo paper.

"I don't mind being here. Really Grace, you kind… well you kind of amaze me." Spencer looked away.

"Your turn to roll the dice Vegas; you're going to be seeing something completely different than you think." As Grace headed towards the check out, Spencer grabbed her hand. A bolder move than either one expected him to perform. "Your turn to roll the dice Vegas, your turn." Grace muttered under her breath.

After paying for Grace's purchases they headed out. When they reached the car door, Spencer opened the door for Grace and she climbed in smiling. Maybe she wouldn't have to get _his _image out of her mind after all.

"Okay. As to the answer your previous question, Spence. I'm Annabelle Grace Gideon. I changed my name four years ago when I was nineteen obviously I changed it to Grace Gideon, no middle name. I graduated high school at thirteen, went to college until I was fifteen, yea, I took enough credits my first two years. Then when I was sixteen I earned my masters and my PhD in criminal psychology at the same time. By twenty, I entered the FBI and quickly became a serial killer's worst nightmare. I was twelve when my parents split. My parents were just like Hotch and Haley. They always fought over the time he spent at work and all the traveling he did. My father loved my mother greatly henceforth the reason he still wears his wedding ring, despite the fact that they divorced. My father wrote to me everyday for the next ten years. He told me everything about his cases. He told me all about his team, more details than I ever needed to know mind you.

"Oh hey turn here; we're going to the hotel. Anyway he told me a lot about you… for obvious reasons. My mother kept those letters hidden from until a few months ago. I was already in the FBI and there wasn't much she could do about that. She came to see me one day at work, as I was analyzing an unsub and handed me 3,650 letters. I read them all and transferred here. The whole time though, my brother remained in contact with him. I always just thought he hated me and wanted nothing to do with me." Grace breathed and looked at Spencer. He smiled and squeezed her hand. Grace got out of the car and started for the front of the hotel. Spencer caught up with her and on a little leftover confidence from before; he draped his arm over her shoulder. "Being a little forward are we Dr. Reid?" Grace asked. Spence immediately dropped his arm.

"Sorry… uh." Spencer was confused and apologetic.

"I'm just kidding Spence. I actually don't mind." Grace smiled at Spencer and he moved his arm back to her shoulders.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hello

"Name please?" The young man at the desk asked Grace and Spencer.

"Aaron Hotchner." Grace replied with confidence.

"Your Aaron Hotchner miss?" The clerk looked her over with a questionable glance.

"He's my boss, what's your name? Mike? Just because you can't find a girlfriend and try and pick up single women at work doesn't mean it will work on me." Grace met his eyes.

"Grace Gideon, is that you?" The clerk, Mike, looked back at her.

"Michael? You would be working here, what the music teaching career didn't work out for you?" Grace replied. Spencer looked at her in surprise.

"Your rooms are 201, 202, 203, and 204. Two keys per room, enjoy your stay." Mike responded looking sullen and mad. Spencer and Grace walked toward the elevator.

Grace pulled out her cell phone and checked the room assignments Aaron had sent her after she texted him informing him of Spencer and her arrival at the hotel.

"Okay, you and Derek are in 203, Aaron is in 204, and Garcia and I are in 202. I guess we can go to my room, I've got to get working on this profile." Grace smiled at Reid as he pushed the 2 button on the panel of numbers.

Once the pair found their rooms, Spencer unpacked quickly and went to Grace's room to find out what she was all about. No one on the team had ever been allowed to go straight to the hotel after the crime scene. Grace had left her door open for him. Spencer walked in quietly. As he approached the back of the room, he found Grace kneeling on the floor printing the pictures of the crime scene. She had taken almost 100 pictures, with every single detail of the murder. She was quietly tacking the pictures to the wall. Every once in a while, she would jot something down in her notebook; Spencer watched her as he found a seat on the nearest bed. He reclined back as he studied her studying the pictures. Grace's mind was flying with what all these pictures revealed. It was almost as if the unsub was talking to her. Her eyes rushed over the bloodied finger of the victim, immediately she knew the unsub was having problems sleeping, but it wasn't from guilt, it was from over planning. Spencer's cell phone began to vibrate.

"Hello?" Spencer answered quietly not wanting to disturb Grace.

"Reid, we can't get anything on our unsub. Our unsub kills men, and he dumps them in dumpsters, after cutting off their… their manhood." Derek was stressed out and confused. "We're all coming back to the hotel grabbing some dinner and we'll try relaxing, looking at things a little differently but other than that, we've got nothing." Derek quickly hung up.

"Did you get anything?" Spencer asked Grace nervously. Even though he had successfully flirted with her earlier, even scored a little arm around the shoulder, he was afraid. After all, his relationships have been, well lacking. And the only girl he had kissed was Lila.

"Yea, our unsub is a homosexual man, he has trouble sleeping because he over plans ever murder. He's killing men because he's been rejected and he snapped. He probably has a job with a lot of power and he keeps his homosexuality repressed. He was rejected by a man, not a woman. He wears a wedding ring. He wants control, and he fits in well with women, meaning that the woman will find him wonderful, his coworkers and wife's friends all think he's perfect, but the men in his life find something strange about him." Grace breathed and nodded as she racked her brain.

"You found out that entire profile, how?" Spencer asked confused.

"Pictures, I use a lot of pictures to get a basic idea of what the unsub is. I can't figure out what he does until I can get more pictures of a different scene. I'm hoping that it doesn't come to that though." Grace looked worried for a split second.

"Doesn't the police station have pictures though? Of all the other crime scenes?" Spencer inquired.

"Not good ones. I need every detail of the unsub. Except this isn't all I do. I need to interview him, that's when things get really interesting." Grace smiled and sat down next to Spencer.

"That's just amazing… you're amazing." Spencer added, his eyes suddenly locked with hers. Spencer leaned closer to Grace and she followed his lead. Seconds before their lips met, Aaron walked into the room.

"Grace you really shouldn't leave your door…oh." Aaron started. When he saw Grace and Spencer on the bed, Spencer stood up and walked out of the room as Grace too stood and walked to her wall of pictures. "Grace, I sent you two here to get work done. Not to flirt and make-out with your colleague. Did you find anything out?"

"I did. My dad was right all along. Spencer is…" Grace began.

"About the unsub Grace, not Reid, the unsub." Aaron shook his head.

"Yeah, I got you a rough profile. Here." Grace handed Aaron her list of notes and her "rough" profile.

"Grace, this is a complete profile. More complete than we normally come up with in the first six hours. How did you do it? You know, Washington said you were the best, but that was an understatement." Aaron was amazed at everything that had happened. He cell phone rang.

"Agent Hotchner, this is the BAU headquarters. Agent Jason Gideon has been evaluated and will be meeting you in Miami tonight. Thank you, goodbye." There was a click on the other end and silence. Aaron hung up his phone in silence.

"My dad's back huh?" Grace walked out of the room, grabbing her wallet on the way out. Spencer was pacing the lobby with Derek when she finally made it downstairs.

"Everyone else wants to stay here for dinner, Grace. You mind eating with us?" Derek asked. A small smile formed on his face.

"Do I have a choice?" Grace smiled and followed them out. They piled into a waiting car and headed to a local Japanese restaurant.

Once they had been seated and ordered a round of drinks, sake for Grace and Derek, water for Spencer, Derek zeroed in on Grace.

"So Grace, what have you been up to lately?" Derek probed for anything to let him know that she thought about him.

"Just about everything imaginable, I've been doing a ton of work up in the Seattle area, from hunting serial killers all over to teaching, to working with other branches of the FBI. I basically worked my ass off doing things that I didn't really love until I transferred here." Grace nodded to herself, almost as if she was trying to validate herself to… well herself.

"That's cool. I've spent years in the BAU. You know how I am… once I find something I love, I can't give it up." Derek flashed his cool white teeth at Grace.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hello

"So Vegas, what about you, do you love what your doing?" Grace avoided Derek's odd gaze toward her.

"Uhh…. Uhh… yeah sure I guess… but what is really enjoyment anyway? It's just chemicals in your brain responding to other chemicals. Right I mean…" Spencer seemed to have lost all the confidence he had earlier in the day. "yes. I do enjoy what I do." Spencer finally spit it out.

"So Grace, what about in the man department, you of all people should have snagged a keeper by now." Derek stated bluntly to Grace.

"Actually Derek, unlike you, I am not a multiple man kind of girl, I'm more of a one man woman, therefore, with my job, and I really haven't had the time to be dating much. I'm kind of hoping to though now that I'm in one permanent place." Grace flashed a smile at Derek and a small smile at Spencer, her head slightly bent.

"What can I get you all?" A young female waiter asked the table.

"I'll have the California rolls, sashimi and the lobster rolls. Oh and a miso soup. Thanks doll." Derek said smoothly. The waitress giggled slightly and then looked to take everyone else's orders.

"Sashimi and miso soup please." Grace answered.

"Just miso Soup." Spencer added.

As the waitress walked away, Derek started in on Spencer. "Just miso soup dude?"

"I cannot use chopsticks; we've been over this numerous times Morgan, it is impossible for me to eat with chopsticks." Spencer's face turned scarlet as he buried his face in his hands. Grace laughed quietly.

Dinner passed by the trio quickly and quietly. Derek was normally a talkative guy, but he seemed to be getting shot down more by Grace then he had expected so he kept his mouth shut for most of dinner. Once they had finished and paid they went back to the hotel. Standing in the lobby of the hotel was a man of about 53. Had dark hair and deep brown eyes, and possessed a laugh that could fill a room. When Derek Spencer and Grace entered the lobby talking, they saw this man speaking to Aaron. Aaron looked relieved as he handed a briefing folder to the man. Grace stopped, unsure of where to go or what to do next, because she recognized this man. The man was her father. Grace stopped not caring that Derek was looking at her oddly or that Spencer was caught between her and her father. Jason Gideon had no idea that the daughter his late wife hid from him was standing behind him, fearful as ever. He finished talking to Aaron, but became alarmed when Aaron's face registered both surprise and remorse. Jason quickly turned around thinking something was desperately wrong. When his eyes met Grace's he looked away quickly, finding it odd that when he locked eyes with a complete stranger, he found himself seeing his daughter Annabelle.

"Is everything okay Hotch?" Jason asked Aaron with surprising anxiety.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about Haley. Everything's fine. There's something you need to know though sir." Aaron tried signaling Spencer away as he approached.

"Let the kid in Aaron, it can't be that bad." Jason eyed Aaron trying to find out just what it was that he needed to know.

"Gideon, your daughter is here." Spencer said slowly and low. Spencer suddenly regretted the words that flowed from his mouth.

"Dad? Is that you?" Grace said as she neared her father. She was rather shy with this man, not knowing what to expect. Here she was 22 years old and it had been ten years since she had seen her father and better yet, up until a few months ago she had thought that her father hated her.

"Gracie… is that you?" Jason stepped closer to this woman who so looked like his daughter, but these past ten years, all his letters, never a response. He was the one who believed his daughter didn't love him or resented him for the divorce. Since Grace was two her father had called her Gracie which is why when she was nineteen she legally changed her name to Grace. Her mother, after the divorce attempted to manipulate her into changing her name to her maiden name, Hermes, and ultimately erase her father from her mind. Grace would hear none of it. Despite the fact that she felt her father didn't love her anymore, a minute part of her believed one day he would come back.

"Daddy, I…" Grace felt as though she was watching herself explode into tears, she felt as though she was no longer connected to her body. Without even thinking about it Grace flew to her father holding him tight. At first Jason seemed surprised at her reaction, but quickly held her back. Grace and Jason went up to their rooms. For the next eight hours Jason and Grace spoke about the past ten years. They both gave excuses for the past but vowed not to lose their relationship in the future.

The next morning Aaron had everyone up at six am not caring about anything but the unsub. With Grace's profile in hand, they all left for the police station. Upon arrival, they gave the small profile that they had and began to discuss their options as to what they needed to do next. Grace and Penelope went to the back of the station to see if they could pull up any names on anyone from the archives. Derek, Spencer and Greenaway went to the home of the latest victim to see if they could dig anything up. JJ sat at a desk with Chief Ray and tried to draw up possible people. Jason took Aaron aside to discuss the matter at hand.

"Where did you find her Aaron?" Jason had thousands of emotions floating through her mind.

"Gideon, we have a case to be working on." Aaron tried to avoid Jason's gaze.

"I'm the boss here Aaron, we've got everything under control. Answer me." Jason was losing his calm composure.

"I knew she worked for the FBI. I worked with her on a bunch of cases and we have stayed in contact over the past few years. When the BAU decided that we could use another agent, She was my first choice. Gideon, she loves you, she has always loved you." Jason knew that Aaron put all of his efforts into reuniting the lost father daughter team and despite the fact that he would never say it, Jason knew that this was Aaron's way of thanking him for everything. Jason smiled as they watched the station explode into chaos- they had another body.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hello

"So Vegas, what about you, do you love what your doing?" Grace avoided Derek's odd gaze toward her.

"Uhh…. Uhh… yeah sure I guess… but what is really enjoyment anyway? It's just chemicals in your brain responding to other chemicals. Right I mean…" Spencer seemed to have lost all the confidence he had earlier in the day. "yes. I do enjoy what I do." Spencer finally spit it out.

"So Grace, what about in the man department, you of all people should have snagged a keeper by now." Derek stated bluntly to Grace.

"Actually Derek, unlike you, I am not a multiple man kind of girl, I'm more of a one man woman, therefore, with my job, and I really haven't had the time to be dating much. I'm kind of hoping to though now that I'm in one permanent place." Grace flashed a smile at Derek and a small smile at Spencer, her head slightly bent.

"What can I get you all?" A young female waiter asked the table.

"I'll have the California rolls, sashimi and the lobster rolls. Oh and a miso soup. Thanks doll." Derek said smoothly. The waitress giggled slightly and then looked to take everyone else's orders.

"Sashimi and miso soup please." Grace answered.

"Just miso Soup." Spencer added.

As the waitress walked away, Derek started in on Spencer. "Just miso soup dude?"

"I cannot use chopsticks; we've been over this numerous times Morgan, it is impossible for me to eat with chopsticks." Spencer's face turned scarlet as he buried his face in his hands. Grace laughed quietly.

Dinner passed by the trio quickly and quietly. Derek was normally a talkative guy, but he seemed to be getting shot down more by Grace then he had expected so he kept his mouth shut for most of dinner. Once they had finished and paid they went back to the hotel. Standing in the lobby of the hotel was a man of about 53. Had dark hair and deep brown eyes, and possessed a laugh that could fill a room. When Derek Spencer and Grace entered the lobby talking, they saw this man speaking to Aaron. Aaron looked relieved as he handed a briefing folder to the man. Grace stopped, unsure of where to go or what to do next, because she recognized this man. The man was her father. Grace stopped not caring that Derek was looking at her oddly or that Spencer was caught between her and her father. Jason Gideon had no idea that the daughter his late wife hid from him was standing behind him, fearful as ever. He finished talking to Aaron, but became alarmed when Aaron's face registered both surprise and remorse. Jason quickly turned around thinking something was desperately wrong. When his eyes met Grace's he looked away quickly, finding it odd that when he locked eyes with a complete stranger, he found himself seeing his daughter Annabelle.

"Is everything okay Hotch?" Jason asked Aaron with surprising anxiety.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about Haley. Everything's fine. There's something you need to know though sir." Aaron tried signaling Spencer away as he approached.

"Let the kid in Aaron, it can't be that bad." Jason eyed Aaron trying to find out just what it was that he needed to know.

"Gideon, your daughter is here." Spencer said slowly and low. Spencer suddenly regretted the words that flowed from his mouth.

"Dad? Is that you?" Grace said as she neared her father. She was rather shy with this man, not knowing what to expect. Here she was 22 years old and it had been ten years since she had seen her father and better yet, up until a few months ago she had thought that her father hated her.

"Gracie… is that you?" Jason stepped closer to this woman who so looked like his daughter, but these past ten years, all his letters, never a response. He was the one who believed his daughter didn't love him or resented him for the divorce. Since Grace was two her father had called her Gracie which is why when she was nineteen she legally changed her name to Grace. Her mother, after the divorce attempted to manipulate her into changing her name to her maiden name, Hermes, and ultimately erase her father from her mind. Grace would hear none of it. Despite the fact that she felt her father didn't love her anymore, a minute part of her believed one day he would come back.

"Daddy, I…" Grace felt as though she was watching herself explode into tears, she felt as though she was no longer connected to her body. Without even thinking about it Grace flew to her father holding him tight. At first Jason seemed surprised at her reaction, but quickly held her back. Grace and Jason went up to their rooms. For the next eight hours Jason and Grace spoke about the past ten years. They both gave excuses for the past but vowed not to lose their relationship in the future.

The next morning Aaron had everyone up at six am not caring about anything but the unsub. With Grace's profile in hand, they all left for the police station. Upon arrival, they gave the small profile that they had and began to discuss their options as to what they needed to do next. Grace and Penelope went to the back of the station to see if they could pull up any names on anyone from the archives. Derek, Spencer and Greenaway went to the home of the latest victim to see if they could dig anything up. JJ sat at a desk with Chief Ray and tried to draw up possible people. Jason took Aaron aside to discuss the matter at hand.

"Where did you find her Aaron?" Jason had thousands of emotions floating through his mind.

"Gideon, we have a case to be working on." Aaron tried to avoid Jason's gaze.

"I'm the boss here Aaron, we've got everything under control. Answer me." Jason was losing his calm composure.

"I knew she worked for the FBI. I worked with her on a bunch of cases and we have stayed in contact over the past few years. When the BAU decided that we could use another agent, She was my first choice. Gideon, she loves you, she has always loved you." Jason knew that Aaron put all of his efforts into reuniting the lost father daughter team and despite the fact that he would never say it; Jason knew that this was Aaron's way of thanking him for everything. Jason smiled as they watched the station explode into chaos- they had another body.

"Grace, let's go, we're going to the scene. Morgan, Reid, Greenaway, get Garcia on her laptop. We'll be calling." Aaron raced to the SUV flanked by Jason and Grace. No one was sure why Aaron left the others at the station.

As they neared the scene, Jason regained his calm exterior and walked up to the body. Grace and Aaron threw on a pair of gloves as Aaron dialed Derek's cell. Aaron calmly explained that it was the same MO. Without even looking at the victim, Aaron told Derek that he would be down at the station to give a profile in ten minutes.

"Are you okay staying her? I know that we typically give a profile as a team, but we need someone to stay here and collect evidence. It'll be a rough profile, we can re-brief later today." Aaron didn't wait for a response. Jason and Grace were left standing over a dead body with little to go on and even less knowledge of each other.

The pair worked in silence in the minutes surrounding Aaron's departure. Jason walked the scene slowly trying to recognize MOs and other clues that could lead the team to capture. Grace got up close and personal with the body, quickly examining the skin and taking a longer time viewing the wounds. Soon, Grace could feel a pair of eyes on her. As she turned around, Jason smiled at her.

"You truly are the best agent in the field aren't you?" Jason chuckled.

"I just do my job. If I do it well, well, that's thanks to my upbringing." Grace smiled shyly and continued with her work. Jason stood watching her in awe.

Later that day, after they had given a profile, Aaron assembled the team at the station where the BAU had set up temporary headquarters. They believed that they had found the unsub. Dividing up the team into threes, Aaron sent everyone on their way. Grace, Jason and Spencer went to the next projected victim's house, Elle, Derek and Morgan headed to the unsub's home. JJ and Garcia hung back at the station to serve as liaisons for the other two teams. Jason carefully observed Grace and Spencer together. As they neared the home of the projected victim, Spencer turned to Jason.

"Gideon, what happens if the unsub is in the house?" Jason didn't reply but motioned to the guns hanging in both his and Grace's holsters.

The front door of the house was open with several lights on and much of the furniture in the first two rooms thrown about. Grace Jason and Spencer cleared the bottom floor. As Grace was rummaging through the kitchen, she noticed that there was a small trail of blood leading out back. She motioned for Jason and Spencer to follow. Upon stepping onto the grass, they saw the unsub draw his gun on the victim. Jason raced forward as the unsub quickly turned around and shot directly at Spencer and Grace. Two bullets, two misses, just as the shots were being fired, Grace and Spencer pushed each other over, out of the way of the bullet resulting in Spencer lying peculiarly on top of Grace. After a brief moment, Spencer jumped quickly to his feet, Grace right behind him, sprinting toward the unsub Jason had managed to handcuff. Grace busied herself with the victim while Spencer called Penelope and JJ.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hello

Jason stood behind the unsub, his gun drawn to his temple. Grace helped the victim over to Spencer, who took him out to the ambulance that had just arrived. Meanwhile, Grace approached the unsub, saying very little verbally but projecting authority over him in her body language. Jason cringed until Grace kneeled on the ground in front of the unsub.

"I know everything about you, from why you kill to why you dye your hair four shades lighter each time you kill. That's why you couldn't have been caught based on hair color, but it wasn't just to cover your tracks was it? You're just trying to hide yourself farther and farther into your body. You kill because you are trying to kill what's inside of you. Face it, buddy you're gay." With that last remark, the unsub began to squirm and yell. Jason took him to the SUV and smiled at Grace. As the unsub walked away, Grace locked eyes with the unsub. Everything she would need to know was in those troubled chocolate eyes.

Aaron, Elle and Spencer walked over to her. Grace nodded and walked to the SUV. She climbed into the seat and waited for Aaron to arrive to driver her back to the hotel. Luckily for her, the unsub was caught in action, so no one would have to interview him. None of the bodies had been buried, so there really was no need to interrogate him. Grace settled into the SUV and drove back to the hotel in complete silence. There was no way she talk after everything that had gone on that day. It was one thing to work on a case and give advice, one thing to profile from pictures, but it was something completely different interrogating and interacting with the unsub. Every time there was interaction, Grace could feel her mind being poked and prodded at the tiny boxes where she kept her hidden issues and pain. Every time an unsub comes across her hands, Grace thought "that could have been me."

"Well, that was probably about the easiest case we've had in a long time. He didn't even resist when we walked into the place." Aaron was trying to make conversation, but Grace could feel herself slipping farther and farther into her self.

"He wanted to be caught, and yet he didn't. He wanted someone to say, it's not right what you're doing, but he wanted to hide himself from the world. He spent so much time planning these murders, while in the back of his head he knew someone needed to save him. That's all he needed, someone to save him." Grace felt a tear slip down her cheek as she turned her head to face out the window. They were going to the hotel to get their things and leave promptly after that.

Grace said nothing to no one as she walked into the hotel lobby. Not even to Spencer who was standing in front talking to Jason. When Spencer saw the look on Grace's face, he abruptly left the conversation he was having with Jason and followed after Grace. Instead of taking the elevator to her room, Grace trudged the stairs. With every step she felt her walls being built up again, it was going to be okay; she had a momentary lapse of sanity, but being Grace Gideon allowed her to rebuild them. All of a sudden she was plagued with his face. Grace turned around and there he was.

"Vegas! What are you doing?" Grace coughed out.

"I… I… I was going to my room." Spencer looked around.

"Oh, okay." Normally Grace would duel wits with Spencer but she was just not up for it.

Spencer opened the door for Grace when they came across the door for their floor. She nodded her thanks at Spencer and went to her room, silently. Spencer watched Grace walk into her room. He realized then that there was something more to her than Jason had told him. 'Maybe, just maybe she could love me.' Spencer's mind flooded with thoughts. 'It's your turn to roll the dice, Vegas.' Her voice was like the wind in his head, he couldn't see it, he couldn't tell what would happen next but he could hear it and more importantly, he could feel it.

An hour later, the entire team was on the plane, finally together. Jason and Aaron slept toward the head of the plane, while Elle, Penelope and JJ slept in the back. In the back, at a table, Derek Spencer and Grace talked.

"So, Grace, how have you been, seriously?" Derek looked at her with a stare that made Spencer's blood boil. Spencer didn't know why he felt the way he did, or even what he was feeling. Books were much easier to understand than emotions.

"I've been better, we'll leave it at that." Grace didn't want to talk about that aspect of her life with anyone, especially Derek.

"I really can't see why you don't have a steady guy, I mean really Grace, you've always had guys falling all over you." Derek was incessant; Spencer wondered why this side of Derek was coming out now. He was always so self assured, but around Grace, it was like he was… well desperate.

"Well, Derek, yes I do have a lot of date propositions, but I never had the time to date seriously with my job. I like to be with the same guy twice. And my last casual relationship turned out to be a joke, seeing as the guy, oh I don't know, cheated on me? Yeah, see Derek, I remember. I know why you left. I know why you never called, but I never let myself believe that we were anything more than just 'casual' but to know you were with her even when you told me that this was just a 'fling' broke my heart. There you go Derek, that's why I haven't been dating, because I want to be sure that the guy I'm with has a heart, understands I have one and would never break my heart." Grace looked out the window as Derek looked pitiful and Spencer shocked. Moments later, Grace stood up and left, retreating to where her father and Aaron sat.

"You did that to her?" Spencer was shocked that smooth Derek could do a thing like that.

"Yeah, unfortunately, back when I was a cop in Chicago, we had a fling, but truly I fell head over heels in love with her, cheated with a couple of girls, and left her standing in the freezing rain waiting for a man who would never come. Needless to say, I've changed since then Reid." Derek looked past Spencer to Grace who was seated next to her father across from Aaron. They were in a deep discussion.

"Yeah, well, seems like you lost it. You still love her?" Spencer knew he was treading on thin ice, but still wanted to find out where Derek was coming from.

"Reid, if I knew I would tell you. But there's something to her, some sort of darkness that I can't help but want to know." With that, Derek leaned back in his chair and stared out the window. Spencer took out a deck of cards and began to play a game of solitaire to distract his mind from the unending flood of questions that still needed to be answered.

Meanwhile, toward the back of the plane, Elle and JJ had awoken. JJ rubbed at her eyes as she stood up and looked around the plane. She was what held this team together, wasn't she? As Elle looked around the room, she saw Penelope smiling.

"What's so entertaining Garcia?" Elle asked with a slight laugh to her voice.

"I'm just watching the most amazing love story in a small team unfold." Penelope whispered with a small hint of wistfulness in her voice.

"What do you mean Garcia?" Suddenly, JJ extracted herself from her own thoughts and focused in on what Garcia was saying.

"What I mean is, there's nothing more beautiful then finding true love." Penelope caught herself before she revealed what she knew. Grace and Penelope had been friends for years, although they hadn't spoken in nearly a year. There was nothing amiss between them, no stagnate feelings of resentment, just pressures of their respective jobs.

"Well, it looks like Gideon is giving Morgan a run for his money." Elle laughed.

"Agent Grace Gideon is doing nothing of the sort." JJ looked to the front of the plane and there she saw the girl that she never took the time to know, but somewhere in her heart of hearts, she knew one day she would have to.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry it's been so long! There's more where this came from :)**

Spencer looked out the window as he began to process all the information he had just received

Spencer looked out the window as he began to process all the information he had just received. Derek loved Grace, or at least he used to love her. There was a part of Grace too, that seemed to love Derek as well. How could he make sense of everything that was going on inside of him when he couldn't tell what was going on with anyone else?

"Grace, you knew that this time was going to come eventually, now just tell us why your folder has a red check in it." Aaron was calm, he in fact, knew the reason for that red check mark, but Jason needed to know.

Taking a deep breath, Grace began. "Well, about three years ago, I had a case where the father of the family left the kids and the mother all alone. He just sort of left. And then, all three wind up dead, along with another family down the street. And then we found the father dead. The only one left alive was the teenage girl. I interviewed her trying to figure out who committed all the murders, and I found out that her mother was having an affair with the father of the family down the street. One day, she snapped, went to go find the family, killed the three kids and the wife of the man she was having an affair with, then came back to murder her own children. The oldest girl, Bella, called her father when she was hiding in the bathtub. He came to the house to find her mother standing over the bodies of her older brother and little sister. That was the first time I interviewed her. The second time, she talked about her father's leaving. About how much it completely destroyed her because her mother told her to stay away from him. And yet, she still loved her father. Then as I began to analyze her, I realized that there was something more to the story. I guided her through a series of questions. She revealed that her mother then killed her father, and stood there staring at her. I shook my head when I put it all together. She killed her mother. All the feelings of rage and hurt that had built up inside her since her father left, she snapped and killed the woman who took away what she needed most, her father.

"Needless to say, when we made it back to the office, and I was alone in mine, I sort of had a nervous breakdown. My superior walked in, in the middle of my episode. Obviously the had to do a pysch evaul on me, and it took them a week to get me back on the field, henceforth the little red check mark." Grace sighed and looked past the two men sitting by her, and over to Spencer.

"Well, I understand Gracie, I really do." Jason smiled at his daughter, he was surprised though, at how easy her old nickname came to him.

The plane was landing as Spencer bumped into Grace. She smiled at him, but he just looked away and hurried away. Confused, Grace picked up her things and followed to where they would exit once the plane landed. Smiling, Grace got off the plane and immediately fell in love with the sight she saw, the asphalt was wet and she could smell the rain coming. Her favorite moments spent watching thunderstorms roll in. Spencer bumped her again as they exited the plane. Again Spencer said nothing but moved away quickly, Grace stumbled on the stairs and Derek caught her elbow. Grace smiled thanks and moved toward her car. She was expected to be in the office early tomorrow so that she could talk to Aaron and Jason about what the job included.

Driving off of the BAU, his face became clear in her mind once more. The more she thought about him, the more she believed her dad. Yet, after the past day or so, he had turned out to be as different as hot and cold. Grace shook her head as she pulled into her driveway. It was all too crazy for her to contemplate at such a crucial time in her life. Here she was starting a brand new job, meeting her father for the first time in nearly 10 years, she was trying to deal with all the inner demons she had nearly become possessed with, and Derek Morgan was back. Not only was he back though, but he wanted to make things right, or so Grace was beginning to believe.

Walking into her apartment, Grace was overwhelmed at the absolute emptiness of it. The walls were white, and the only furniture she had in it were her bed, a sofa and a TV. The fridge was barely stocked and her pantry shelves held only a jar of peanut butter. She was going to have to go out and get something to eat. As she raked her mind for a 24 hour place around Quantico, she remembered Penelope mentioning something about a diner about five minutes from her apartment. Coincidentally, her phone began to vibrate at her hip.

"Hello?" Grace was a bit frazzled.

"Grace, it's Penelope. Are you up for a little diner food this late at night?" Penelope giggled into the phone.

"Yes, I would die for some." Grace was relived that Penelope read her mind so quickly.

"Good I'm at your door right now. Bye." Penelope lived a floor above Grace.

"Bye." Grace hung up her cell phone as she opened the door to Penelope standing there smiling. "Hello."

Penelope and Grace walked to the diner from the apartment building talking about not only their last case, but also what had been going on in their careers since they had last seen each other. Upon entering the diner, the girls sit next to each other at the bar counter. Penelope ordered a cheeseburger, while Grace ordered chicken parmesan. Sighing, Grace looked down at the Diet Cola she had ordered.

"Baby girl, what's up with you?" Penelope placed a comforting hand on Grace's shoulder.


	7. Chapter 7

Spencer walked down the tar mat watching her leave

Spencer walked down the tar mat watching her leave. He bit his cheek and shook his head. With his hands shoved deep into his pockets, he walked angrily into the building. There was no way he was going home tonight. He couldn't drive when he was this angry.

"Reid, man, are you okay?" Derek asked as he caught up with the smaller agent. Spencer stopped looked into Derek's eyes and Derek suddenly realized that Spencer wasn't so small anymore.

"No Derek Morgan I am NOT okay. I am falling in love with someone I met two days ago but feel like I've known her my whole life. And you know what's keeping me from her? YOU DAMNIT. So listen to me Derek. I'm going to tell her what I feel, and you aren't going to ruin it for me because for once in my life, I'm going to get the girl." Spencer spoke angrily through his teeth keeping his tone even.

" I don't know anymore Penny! This is all so confusing. I thought moving to the BAU would be good for me. I mean my father is here, and profiling is something that I can do! But being with Derek, I'm fine with it… but he keeps trying to pry into my life. And I'm not going to lie, he looks good. Better probably than when I was with him. BUT aside from Derek Penny, I keep seeing HIS face. And I hate it because he was all… almost going to kiss me I mean my dad, wrote to me telling me all about Spencer… and I thought that maybe he was right about him. I felt that connection, you know what I mean? I thought Spencer felt it too, but he's been cold to me… he won't even look at me anymore. I don't think I can take another rejection." Grace could feel her eyes swarm with tears. It was all too much for her to handle. She was facing the rear of the diner while Penelope looked at the door. Almost immediately after Grace's lips shut, Penelope gasped.

Grace turned around immediately. When she turned she locked eyes with someone from her past, someone from her future, someone who was finally there.

"I thought you might be here Gracie. Your mom and I used to take you to this diner when you were little." Jason walked into the diner and stood at the edge of the table. Penelope greeted him, stood said her good-byes and promptly left, for she knew that this relationship needed more mending than her and Grace's.

Spencer thought those words through his head but instead all he responded was, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Derek looked on at Spencer with much confusion in his eyes. "So, Reid, want to go grab some coffee? I wasn't planning on leaving the office either."

Spencer nodded and slowed his step to match Derek's. Perhaps, Spencer could learn something more about Derek's intentions with Grace, and maybe he could voice his own. Spencer followed Derek to 24 hour coffee shop near their office. Little was said between the agents from the tarmac to when they were seated with their coffee in the back of the shop.

"Reid, I want to know what you think of Grace. And not in the professional sense either." Derek knew that Spencer was reluctant to share information with anyone, but if anything needed to be said between them it had to be now.

"Well, I really don't know her that well…" Spencer stammered. His confidence was gone.

"Come on, Gideon talks about her all the time." Derek needed to hear the words come out of his mouth to believe anything. "Plus you knew Lila for like what a day, and you were all ready making out with her in her pool."

"All right, Morgan. I like her. She's just about perfect…" Spencer finally spoke the words aloud. Expecting shock on Derek's face, all he got was a stone.

"Yeah she is perfect. God Reid, how could I have screwed it up with her? I mean she was everything to me…" Derek stared off into space. Reid finally understood.

"You have issues with commitment, don't you? That's why you never see the same girl twice, why you can't seem to trust anyone else with your life, why you can't seem to trust anyone period. It's all about commitment, and Grace is the only one who has ever asked commitment from you. Even now, you think you could commit to her, but you know you couldn't. Deep inside you Morgan, you know that you couldn't." Spencer said this not with the intention that he wanted to keep Derek away from Grace, but with the intention of reminding Derek why he can't ruin Grace's life.


End file.
